I'm Just Sayin'...
By Matthew Scott
Monday, June 16th, 2008

Is there a more underrated driver in NASCAR than Matt Kenseth?

Usually, the term "underrated" is reserved for drivers who may have won races, but never a championship. Matt Kenseth won the 2003 NASCAR title but still merits serious consideration in this category. Lost in the hoopla, hype, and glad-handing that will result from Junior's winless streak coming to an end is another ho-hum Top 10 finish for Kenseth. Five races ago, following a 38th-place finish at Richmond, Kenseth found himself 22nd in the driver standings, 204 points out of Chase contention. Five races, and five Top 10s later, Kenseth now stands 14th, a mere 14 behind Clint Bowyer in 12th.

Matt Kenseth has won 16 races in his Cup career, and of course, the aforementioned championship in 2003, a season in which Kenseth was so good, NASCAR changed the criteria by which it crowns a champion. Since the inception of the Chase, Kenseth is one of two drivers who has qualified for the 10-race "playoff," the other being two-time champion Jimmie Johnson. So why is it that most conversations about the sport's current greats rarely include Kenseth? Part of the reason could be Kenseth's low-key Midwestern persona. He's just not a guy who's prone to drawing attention to himself. Part of it is that Kenseth has never been one of those drivers who stands out on the racetrack. He races hard, but cleanly and fairly. He rarely charges to the front or manhandles an ill-handling car. He saves his stuff for when it counts, and those kinds of drivers aren't usually the ones that make a fan's heart flutter. But another part, a big part, has to do with the driver with whom Kenseth's career will be inextricably, if not conspicuously, linked; Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Kenseth and Junior began their full-time Cup careers in 2000. Dale, Jr. won two races that year, upping the ante on Junior's career expectations, and beginning his rise to the top of the sport's fandom. Kenseth, meanwhile, finished his rookie season with one win (the Coca-Cola 600), and finished 12th in the final Cup standings. By the way, Junior finished 14th that year. But their career parallels go beyond that first season:

Kenseth certainly isn't the only driver to be overshadowed by Junior's immense popularity, and this isn't meant to imply Junior's talent doesn't match his appeal. But twenty years from now, when today's fans are passing along some history and tradition to their children or grandchildren, you can be sure Junior's name will be mentioned prominently. One can only hope Kenseth's cool, steady, brilliance doesn't get lost in the mix.

index